Now in an interview with The Verge, Xbox boss Phil Spencer has said that he very much expects Microsoft to release a fourth Xbox console later down the line.

"I fully expect that you'll see another console from us,” he explained. Our best customers are Xbox console customers, and I want to keep those people engaged both on the Xbox One and anything we might do in the future. I'm 100 per cent committed to that.

"I don't want to dilute what the Xbox console customer feels. I want to expand what we're able to do for more customers."

Spencer was also pressed on if the promised gaming push from Windows 10 is a further threat to the perceived value of a standalone console system within the walls of Microsoft.

"I love that console experience," Spencer added. "It's obviously the core of what Xbox is about, and Xbox One is our most important gaming device inside the company. There's no doubt about that.

We also know there are millions and millions of gamers who access Microsoft [in other ways,] whether it's Windows, their phone, Skype — it could be many different things every day. As head of gaming inside of Microsoft, I think about how we make sure that all of those customers feel as supported and engaged as the Xbox fans do who own a game console."